Little Junior is an album by the American musician Gary Stewart, released in 1978.[1][2] It peaked at No. 35 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.[3] The first single was "Whiskey Trip".[4] Stewart supported the album with a North American tour.[5]
| Little Junior | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Roy Dea | |||
| Gary Stewart chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The album was produced by Roy Dea.[6] Stewart wrote the title track and "Single Again".[7] "I Got Mine" is a cover of the Ry Cooder version of the 1902 song.[8] Josh Graves played dobro on the cover of the Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See".[9] "Honky-Tonkin'" is a cover of the Hank Williams song.[10] The Jordanaires and Linda Hargrove provided backing vocals on the album.[11]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Robert Christgau | B[13] |
| The New Rolling Stone Record Guide | [14] |
Robert Christgau wrote that Stewart is "secure by now in his good-humored bad-old-boy persona."[13] The Commercial Appeal said that "Stewart's quavering voice is the type that calls for neon beer signs, cheap checkered tablecloths and either a broken heart or a lusty gleam."[15] The Dayton Daily News noted that "a million-dollar studio can do a lot for a voice."[4]
The Kansas City Star praised the title track, but opined that "Stewart needs to decide whether he's going to sound like an honest-to-goodness honky-tonker or whether he's going to drift into the Nashville-sound trap."[16] The Boston Globe called Stewart's voice "a devastating instrument, drenched with emotion and a dual capacity to convey suffering and boiled-up craziness."[17] The Citizen deemed Little Junior "funky, country-blues [with] tough guitars and fat-back drums."[18]
AllMusic wrote that "Stewart's aching warble adds new dimensions to shopworn generalizations, often evoking compassion for decidedly unsympathetic characters."[12]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Whiskey Trip" | |
| 2. | "Little Junior" | |
| 3. | "Stone Wall (Around Your Heart)" | |
| 4. | "Can't You See" | |
| 5. | "Single Again" | |
| 6. | "Tequila After Midnight" | |
| 7. | "I Got Mine" | |
| 8. | "If My Eyes Touch You" | |
| 9. | "Honky-Tonkin'" | |
| 10. | "You're Running Wild" |
References edit
- ^ Simmonsen, Derek (18 Dec 2003). "Singer Gary Stewart dead at age 59". p. B1.
- ^ Kingsbury, Paul, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music. Oxford University Press. p. 508.
- ^ "Billboard Hot Country LPs". Billboard. Vol. 90, no. 26. Jul 1, 1978. p. 62.
- ^ a b Freeders, Al (May 28, 1978). "Country with a twist of lemon". Dayton Leisure. Dayton Daily News. p. 24.
- ^ "At the clubs...". Abilene Reporter-News. Mar 2, 1979. p. 5B.
- ^ Wolff, Kurt (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 376.
- ^ "Gary Stewart has a good...". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Jul 9, 1978. p. J8.
- ^ Grzech, Ellen (July 8, 1978). "Fresh slant on old stuff". Detroit Free Press. p. 9A.
- ^ Sharpe, Jerry (June 11, 1978). "Stewart Becoming King of Honky-Tonk Country". The Pittsburgh Press. p. J6.
- ^ McGavin, Jack (July 8, 1978). "Gary Stewart: Little Junior". The Morning Call. p. 41.
- ^ Burke, Jack (July 5, 1978). "The Wax Works". Stevens Point Journal. p. 15.
- ^ a b "Little Junior Review by Vince Ripol". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Gary Stewart". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1983. p. 490.
- ^ Dawson, Walter (Jun 4, 1978). "Record Reviews". The Commercial Appeal. p. C6.
- ^ Rice, Gary (Jun 6, 1978). "Countrysides". The Kansas City Star. p. 10.
- ^ Morse, Steve (Jun 15, 1978). "Gary Stewart Little Junior". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 9.
- ^ Mulholland, Dave (June 16, 1978). "Country Music". The Citizen. p. 51.